1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club which includes a shaft and a head with a club face connected to the lower end of the shaft. A guide surface is provided on the head.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the game of golf, novices or beginners always have at least at the beginning the problem of guiding the club held at the grip of the club shaft in such a way that the club head assumes an optimum position relative to the ball. However, in the beginning, the club and, thus, the club head are usually held too deep, which means that the club head contacts and damages the fairway even before the club head hits the ball. This may lead to holes in the fairway which subsequently must be repaired in an expensive manner. Moreover, when the club head hits the ground of the fairway which does not yield to a great extent, injuries to the elbow and/or to the wrist joints may occur. The accuracy with which the ball is hit and, thus, the quality of the stroke are significantly impaired.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,171 discloses a golf club which is provided with a guide surface on the rear side thereof. This guide surface cannot prevent novices of the game of golf from holding the club and, thus, the head too deep and from hitting the ground. The attendant danger of injuries to elbow and/or wrist joints is also not eliminated. In addition, the guide surface on the rear side of the club does not have any influence on the accuracy with which the ball is hit and on the quality of the strokes.
Japanese Patent Application 1-227 774 discloses a club at whose head a rail body is mounted which is composed of two rail components which are arranged spaced apart from each other. The ball carries out a movement between the two rail components; the purpose is to always ensure that the ball contacts the ground and that the rail components have a predetermined distance from the ground. Because of the distance from the ground, rail components of this type, which may extend over an angle of approximately 45.degree., do not constitute a guide surface for the head.